Indian Medical Association has proposed that the health budget must allot Rs 1.6 lakh crore in the health infrastructure in the upcoming health budget for 2022-23.
Dr J A Jayalal, national president of Indian Medical Association in a meeting with union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya proposed to increase it from Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 1.6 lakh cores.
Dr Jayalal was in the city for the inauguration and installation of IMA Banjara Hills Branch on December 12th. The IMA Banjara Hills branch was inauguration ceremony was by G Kishan Reddy, British Deputy High Commissioner Dr Andrew Fleming and national president Dr J A Jayalal. There are more than 100 members in the new branch which has a presence of large number of young doctors.
IMA has been in the forefront raising health concerns with the central government and during the pandemic they have been actively coordinating with them.
With health budget being finalized, the present allotment of Rs 12,000 crore is not sufficient and does not meet the needs of the population. The changing pandemic of Covid 19 to epidemic form will require protection in regular screening, testing, tracking and containment.
The pandemic has also brough to fore non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, kidney, auto-immune and obesity which is an increasing health concern.
IMA has appealed to the central government that NCD will be the biggest health burden and preventive steps of Prophylactic Assessment will go a long way in controlling it.
Dr Jayalal says, “Prophylactic Assessment with benefits from the government will help to identify and prevent the diseases. We are expecting 50 percent of the population will suffer from NCD’s due to the changing life habits. This increases the burden on the individual, family and also government. To control this, it is important to take pro-active steps to prevent the disease.” Presently, 7. 5 crore people in the country are suffering from diabetes. These are only identified numbers but there are many more who are not diagnosed. Till they get diagnosed this number will always pose an uncertainty till they report with secondary diseases.
For this reason, regular screening for the whole populace with benefits from the government is being proposed.
IMA is keen that this issue must be addressed by the government to protect the population from lifestyle diseases.
